Kyle Monangai (knee) does not practice on Thursday

Monangai will miss his third game in a row this week. Exactly two weeks ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Monangai’s turf toe injury would be an issue for 1-2 weeks. Technically, his statement remains accurate. This week’s Thursday Night Football game complicates things. If the Bears thought Monangai would miss four games, they likely would have put him on injured reserve, so he should, theoretically, be able to play in Week 8 against the Seahawks. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and for those wondering, the Bears go on bye in Week 10. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson have been splitting touches with Monangai sidelined. We do not yet know if Johnson will be punished for last week’s fumble though.

He hasn’t practiced yet this week and appears very unlikely to go on Thursday night. It would seem to be trending towards another week with Roschon Johnson as the backup runner for the Bears.

Swift again dominated backfield touches for Chicago with Kyle Monangai sidelined with injuries to his toe and hand. Roschon Johnson had 13 carries, with most of those coming after the Bears had raced out to a big lead (before that lead dwindled in the fourth quarter). Both of Swift’s touchdowns came inside the ten yard line. Swift should be locked in for at least 15 touches in Week 7 against the Patriots if Monangai remains sidelined. His involvement in the pass game provides a nice weekly PPR floor.

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Monangai is “trending in the right direction,” but remains week-to-week. D’Andre Swift should handle a sizable workload with Monangai sidelined. Roschon Johnson may be able to catch a few passes, but he makes for a shaky FLEX bet. Monangai should be stashed safely on fantasy football benches.

Exactly one week ago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Monangai’s turf toe injury jeopardized his availability over the next 1-2 weeks. Unfortunately, he is on the wrong side of questionable at this time. Roschon Johnson could contribute on passing downs if Monangai cannot play, but D’Andre Swift will handle the majority of the backfield touches this week.

Monangai missed Week 5 due to thumb and toe injuries; he did not practice all of last week and was estimated as a non-participant for the Bears’ Wednesday walk-through. A DNP listing after already missing a week is not a good sign for the 24-year-old’s availability. Starter D’Andre Swift (hip) was notably not on the injury report. Monangai will need to practice to have a chance to play but fantasy managers will need to start looking at backup Roschon Johnson as a potential fill-in for Week 6 against the Falcons.

Swift was the only Bear to find the end zone in a throwaway performance where Tyson Bagent was benched for the fourth quarter. It was still a disappointing statline with Kyle Monangai (toe) on the shelf, but there just wasn’t much Swift could do with Bagent failing to threaten the Packers’ defense and the Bears’ D struggling mightily. Swift also lost a ton of passing-game work and targets to fill-in No. 2 RB Roschon Johnson. That’s a potentially disturbing development heading into Week 6 against the Falcons, with or without Monangai in the lineup. Thankfully, Caleb Williams (hamstring) should be back, shoring up Swift’s value in the RB10-14 range.

Despite an early-week DNP, Swift heads into the week in arguably a better position than he started it. We’re not sure how much workload he’ll handle with Kyle Monangai (foot) out, but it will certainly be a large majority of what the Bears do. Roschon Johnson figures to handle whatever Swift can’t, but isn’t a priority free agency pickup so much as a stash at this point.

Monangai is currently in a walking boot and is considered week-to-week, per head coach Ben Johnson. Monangai reportedly consulted a specialist for his turf toe after the injury was revealed to be worse than initially expected, but he is not considered a candidate for injured reserve at this time. Backup Roschon Johnson will be elevated to RB2 duties for the foreseeable future, but we wouldn’t expect him to see the same volume as Monangai, who has averaged 15 carries/gm through the Bears’ first four games.

We will get a better sense of Swift’s availability soon when the Bears release their final injury report of the week. After being a DNP in Wednesday’s practice, Swift was able to log a limited session on Thursday, which is a good sign for his availability with one practice left to go. Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe), who has yet to practice this week, could be at risk of missing Week 5, which could lead to a busy day for Swift, while Roschon Johnson would serve as the Bears’ RB2.